Profil

Research interests: Adaptation of agricultural production systems to climate change, emission of greenhouse gases from agriculture, organic and integrated crop production systems, modelling of the soil-plant-atmosphere system and at the farm scale.

Scientific positions:

1983-1986

Scientist, Danish Institute of Plant and Soil Science, Agrometeorological Service

Head of research group on Crop Production, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences

2003-

Professor in climate change and agriculture, Aarhus University

2010-

Head of research group on Climate and Water, Aarhus University

2011-

Adjunct professor at University of Copenhagen

Research areas and research management:He has a very broad experience on the interaction between agricultural (and agroecosystem) activities and the environment. This involves both the effect of agriculture on environment and the effect of environmental change on agroecosystems. He also has an extensive and broad network in Europe and elsewhere related to this. Some of the experiences also cover semi-managed ecosystems.

He was involved in initiating Danish research on agrometeorology. He has lead several interdisciplinary projects, including projects on integrated wheat production, application of remote sensing and GIS in agriculture, development of a whole-farm simulation model, and several projects on organic farming and reduced tillage. He has participated in more than 10 EU projects and concerted actions on the effect of climate change on agriculture and on greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities. He is currently involved in three EU projects on climate change: Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems; Interaction between climate change and soils; and Novel legume cropping systems. He is currently project leader of two national research projects and participates in several other national and international projects.

Research networking and education:Member of the management committee of COST actions 734. Member of Editorial Board for European Journal of Agronomy, and referee for more than 20 different journals. Currently teacher on several BSc and MSc courses at Aarhus University and responsible for one MSc course (10 ECTS) under the Faculty of Science and Technology at Aarhus University. Currently supervisor for 6 PhD and one Post Doc students. Invited speaker/participant at >50 international scientific meetings.

Policy support:He has participated in several governmental committees on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, adaptation to climate change, integrated crop management, and reduced tillage practices. He has contributed in expert panels of the EU and The World Bank, and he has and ongoing collaboration with FAO. He has also contributed as an author to the third IPCC assessment report and as a lead author for the IPCC fourth assessment report, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He was member of the Commission on Climate Change Policy under the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy. He is chairman of the food and bioenergy group of the CONCITO think tank, member of the Danish Ethical Council, and member of the Commission on Nature and Climate. He chairs the Platform on Environment and Climate under the Danish Universities BSU initiative. Responsible for coordinating policy support at Aarhus University on issues within climate and natural resources.

Research within environmental issues:He has a very broad experience on the interaction between agricultural (and agroecosystem) activities and the environment. This involves both the effect of agriculture on environment and the effect of environmental change on agroecosystems. He also has an extensive and broad network in Europe and elsewhere related to this. Some of the experiences also cover semi-managed ecosystems.

Assessing impact of climate change on European agricultural systems and the interaction with other sectors as well, in particular with relation to water use and availability. Participation in 10 completed and/or ongoing EU projects or concerted actions on climate change impacts.

Quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and possible mitigation options, including both experimental and modelling studies of carbon and nitrogen fluxes in agricultural systems. The analyses have also included evaluation of new technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as quantification of cost-effectiveness of measures and technologies. This also includes quantifying biomass resources for bioenergy production and the environmental impacts related to their production. Participation in three completed and/or ongoing EU projects within this subject.

Development and application of farm and landscape models for quantifying nitrogen flows and losses and resulting emissions of nitrate, ammonia and greenhouse gases to the environment. The models have been developed for analysing effectiveness of various measures for reducing emissions, for analysing problems with "pollution swapping" and evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of applying various new measures and technologies. He has led several national projects on application of such model-based analyses and contributed in EU-projects, where these tools have been applied.

Development and application of mathematical modelling for studying interactions among species in agroecosystems. This has been used to assess effects of changes in management practices and environmental conditions for biodiversity in agricultural fields and landscapes. The work has been conducted in collaboration with universities and research institutes, primarily in Denmark.

Experimental and modelling studies on interaction between crops, pests, diseases and weeds, with an emphasis on reducing pesticide consumption. The results have been used to improve cultural methods for reducing pesticide consumption in Denmark, and ongoing work includes applying the new knowledge and models together with novel sensor technology for precision application of fungicides to cereals.

He has been very active within the analysis of environmental impacts of organic farming systems, and he has also be actively involved in further developing organic farming practices, primarily through leading several national interdisciplinary projects on the subject involving both experimental and model-based methods. He has until recently coordinated the Danish national experimental areas for organic farming research. He has also organised several international meetings on the subject.